By Laura Coffee, Marketing & Owner Services Manager, Co-op Owner
Tarragon is one of those herbs that looks unassuming but packs a big flavor punch! Similar in appearance to rosemary and lavender, with thin alternating leaves covering long thin stems, the taste is utterly unique. Fresh tarragon can cause tingling and slight numbness of the tongue, though I’ve never experienced that with the dried herb. The scent is sweet but potent, and the flavor is reminiscent of anise or licorice. To learn more about it you can check out the video here. To participate in future installments of this series, visit the CRDL website here.
Tarragon Onion Dip
Ingredients:
- 1 cup unsweetened yogurt or sour cream
- 1 1/2 Tbsp dried chopped onion
- 1 Tbsp dried tarragon
- 1/4 tsp salt
Combine all ingredients in a container and place in the fridge, covered, for at least an hour. I used unsweetened yogurt for this recipe because I wanted looser texture, so I could also use it as a dressing or sauce. As a dip it pairs well with classic potato chips, fresh carrots, and sliced cucumbers. That’s not all though – I’m giving you a recipe within a recipe for this one. Combine 2-3 Tbsp of the dip with one 5oz can of tuna and mix until well combined for a unique and tasty sandwich filling!
Tarragon Pasta Salad
Ingredients:
- 8oz dry pasta
- 10oz sausage or alternative
- 1 large handful arugula (1-2 cups)
- 1/2 cup cherry tomatoes
- 1/2 Tbsp dried tarragon
- 1/2 Tbsp onion powder
- 1/2 Tbsp mustard powder
- salt to taste
Place a pot of water on the stove and allow it to come to a boil as you prep the other ingredients. Cut the sausage into bite-sized pieces and set aside. (I used beef bratwurst.) Chop the arugula and place it in a bowl with halved cherry tomatoes. When the water begins to boil put the pasta in and brown the sausage pieces as the pasta cooks. When the pasta reaches your preferred level of doneness, turn off the burner, reserve 1/2 cup of the pasta water, and drain the rest. Return the pasta to the pot, along with the reserved cooking water, and place it on the still hot burner. Add the tarragon, onion powder, and mustard powder. Stir well. The residual heat should be sufficient to turn the pasta water and spices into a light sauce coating the pasta. Once this happens, remove from the heat, stir in the tomatoes, sausage, and arugula, and add salt to taste.
Tarragon Tea Cakes
Ingredients:
- 2 cups raw pumpkin seeds, plus extra for garnish
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 cup softened butter*
- 1/2 cup sugar
- Zest of one lemon
- 1 Tbsp water
- 1/2 Tbsp tarragon
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Preheat your oven to 325F. Combine all ingredients except the flour in a food processor and process until the pumpkin seeds are well chopped and the mixture is uniform. I suggest stopping to stir as needed to facilitate better mixing. Once the mix is ready, place it in a large mixing bowl and fold in the flour with a spatula. It should come together fairly quickly. Cover two cookie sheets in parchment paper and begin shaping the dough into slightly larger than 1 inch balls. (This batch should yield 36-40 cookies.) Press one pumpkin seed lightly into the top of each cookie. Bake for 20 minutes or until the bottom begins to brown and the surface of the cookie looks dry. Allow to cool completely and store in an air tight container.
*If you use unsalted butter add two pinches of salt to the recipe, one for each stick.